Unintended Pregnancy in Epilepsy May Be Linked to Contraceptive, AED Combo

Women with epilepsy frequently report unintended pregnancy, which may be associated with the type of hormonal contraception and anti-epileptic drug(s) (AEDs) being used, according to study results published in Neurology.1

Data from the Epilepsy Birth Control Registry (EBCR) published in 2016 showed that about 46.6% of women with epilepsy (WWE) at risk for unintended pregnancy used hormonal contraception.2

“Epilepsy practice guidelines suggest that WWE achieve optimal seizure control on the minimum effective dosage of AED and take recommended dosages of folic acid supplement before conception in order to minimize their significantly increased risk of having offspring with major congenital malformations. The timing of conception, therefore, involves planning,” Andrew Herzog, MD, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and lead investigator of the study, told Neurology Advisor.